How AI can help you write better is an interesting, and somewhat contentious, topic. I’ve been wondering what good analogy explains the relationship between AI and writing. One thrown around quite a bit is of AI being to writing what the calculator was (is) to mathematics. But this doesn’t quite feel right.
So, what would be a more fitting metaphor? Where else to seek an answer than from AI itself.
I asked five esteemed LLMs what they thought. The five being Copilot, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini and ChatGPT.
This is the exact prompt I gave:
“I'm trying to think of a good metaphor to characterise the relationship between Writing and using AI to help. Can you give me 5 metaphors that capture the idea that AI is a great tool to help with writing, but it shouldn't replace us doing the writing ourselves because there is this link between writing and thinking, and so if we stop writing ourselves, we are potentially stopping to think.”
What was initially interesting is that between the LLMs there was not much originality. The same metaphors popped up in all five of the LLMs. Maybe this makes sense. My knowledge is limited, but it is almost as if they were all drawing from the same database.
The following metaphors were shared by two or more LLMs:
- Cooking metaphor. Here writing is like cooking. You, the human writer, are the head chef, and AI is your skilled sous chef.
- Music metaphor. Here writing is a piece of music. You are the composer and lead musician. AI is either the finely tuned instrument or the brilliant accompanist.
- Journey metaphor. Here writing is a journey. You are the driver. AI is the navigation app.
- Gardening metaphor. Here writing is like tending a garden. You are the gardener. AI is the tools and irrigation system.
- Bicycle metaphor. Here writing is like learning to ride a bicycle. You are the cyclist. AI are the training wheels.
The most original metaphor came from Gemini in the form of the astronomy metaphor. Here writing is akin to astronomy. You are the astronomer and AI is the powerful telescope.
In Gemini’s own words: "AI is like a powerful telescope, revealing vast landscapes of information and potential. But the astronomer (the writer) must still interpret the data, connect the dots, and form meaningful theories. Without the astronomer's intellectual engagement, the telescope's discoveries remain just scattered points of light."
I was still not settled, though. I hadn’t found the metaphor that really resonated with me. I liked the astronomy metaphor as it seemed to emphasise you (the writer) as being a discoverer and interpreter. And I liked the cooking metaphor as it underlined your agency in the process and central role as creative decision maker, while all the time working on your skills.
I wondered whether there was a way of combining these metaphors, or at least their meanings into a single metaphor. I asked Claude if she (he, it?) could help. Here is her answer:
“AI as a Smart Telescope, Writer as the Celestial Navigator.
AI is like an advanced telescope with automated tracking and pattern recognition capabilities. It can scan the vast universe of language and information, revealing distant stars, galaxies, and cosmic patterns that might otherwise remain invisible. It can even suggest possible routes through this celestial landscape.
However, the writer remains the navigator who must interpret these observations, chart a meaningful course, and decide which cosmic bodies to explore. The navigator brings the essential human elements – purpose, judgment, and meaning-making – to the journey.
Just as a navigator who relies too heavily on automated systems might lose their star-reading skills and intuitive understanding of celestial movements, a writer who delegates too much to AI risks losing their core navigational abilities in the universe of ideas. The most profound discoveries and journeys require both the telescope's revealing power and the navigator's interpretive wisdom working in concert.”
I am not sure this hits the mark for me, but I liked the grandiosity of it: you (the writer) are a celestial navigator!
Beautiful stuff! No pressure. Get to it!
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